How Surveys, Speed Tests, and Spatial Analysis Help Us Understand the Digital Divide

The digital divide is multi-faceted and currently there is no single set of instructions for how it can be closed. Broadly speaking, there are at least two main reasons why a location may not have high-speed internet: 1) Infrastructure deficiencies, meaning either the complete absence of infrastructure, or the present infrastructure is insufficient for delivering broadband speeds and 2) the proper infrastructure is present, but there is a lack of adoption from the people who could theoretically take advantage of it. Within each of these buckets is a tangled world of nuance, and this study examined how a combination of granular geospatial analysis, speed measurements, and survey responses can help organize and think through these intertwined relationships. This study leverages household-level data collected via a survey and speed test combination. Multiple study areas, with a typical area consisting of a single county, went through a data collection effort with a handful of study areas selected for deeper analysis. Results should be thought of as part of a proof of concept demonstrating the value of collecting granular data on both internet speed and public sentiment. This exploration also begins to peel back the layers of how advanced geospatial analyses can identify patterns and inspire solutions. While the full research paper details this analysis, the main takeaways have been summarized here.